Extension furniture for printers



-(No M0del.\

W. E. ELA. EXTENSION FURNITURE FOR PRINTER8.

No. 584,994.- Patented June 22,1897.

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WILLIAM E. ELA, OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

EXTENSION FURNITURE FOR PRINTERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 584,994, dated June 22,1897. Application filed November '7, 1896. Serial No. 611,389. (Nomodel.)

- a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

In setting type, particularly in display composition, it is the presentpractice to fill in the blank spaces with quads or quotations and withwooden furniture, the type being set and then properly positioned andspaced by inserting a large number of the quads, &c.,

one after the other, until all the blank space is accurately blocked orfilled in solidly. This consumes time, requires patience and experience,and is, moreover, objectionable, because the quads, &c., will work loosemore or less in the constant jarring and movement of the press and thewooden furniture will shrink or warp and become rounded on the corners.Accordingly, with a view to obviating all these objectionable features,I have invented the hereinafter-described extension furniture, by meansof which the compositors time is saved, office-room and cost of materialare economized, uniformity and accuracy of blanking is secured, andthere is no longer any liability to work loose, as heretofore, due tothe number of quads, &c., which it has been necessary to employ.

By my invention one piece of furniture takes the place of a large numberand variety of quads. It consists of two parts fitted to each other, asclaimed, and extensible, so as to accommodate themselves to spaces ofVarying lengths. Preferably these parts are made of metal and haveinterlocking teeth to prevent relative endwise movement. They are madeto have uniform thickness from end to end, whether extended or not,thereby affording support for the type that may be set against them oneither side thereof; also, the adjustment is preferably by picas inlength, and the different sizes vary by picas in width, although othersizes may be used, if desired as, for instance, for blocking out theblank space of color-work.

The details of my invention will be understood from the followingdescription and claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawingsillustrative of the preferred embodiment thereof. r

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of one form of myinvention. Fig. 2 is a view thereof in perspective, showing the supportafforded thereby to the adjacent type. Fig. 3 is a detail in frontelevation, showing the two members of the furniture taken apart. Fig. 4cis a similar detail of a larger size of furniture, indicating by way ofillustration an adj ustability between and including thirtynine andfifty-seven picas.

In the embodiment of my invention herein shown the furniture is composedof two similar parts A and A, made of metal or other suitable material.Each part is recessed at B B and provided with an extension-tongue G 0,adapted to fit snugly within the recess of the opposite part, asindicated in Fig. 1. Means for locking the two parts A A in theirvarious extended positions are provided, interlocking teeth 0 beingherein shown for that purpose. As one part is moved along relati vely tothe other the teeth automatically interlock, being held rigidly togetherby the adjacent type in the chase. I prefer to extend these teeth alongthe entire length of the tongues, the last tooth o falling just withinthe recess B or B, as the case may be, the remaining bottom portion ofthe recess being smooth and uncorrugated, this construction insuringthat the furniture shall be rigidly locked when the parts are closed,and having also the advantage of being cheap and sufficiently strong.

The teeth 0 may be square, as in Fig. 1, rounded, as in Fig. 3, or ofany other preferred shape or disposition. The two tongues wheninterlocked or overlapped, as shown in Fig. 1, always have a combinedthickness precisely the same as that of the body or end portion whetherextended or not, thereby properly sustaining adjacent type (see Fig. 2)in accurate alinement. The teeth are spaced one pica apart, so that ateach extension of the furniture a move of one tooth makes it one picalonger than before. The upper edge of the furniture is provided with ascale (shown at d) to indicate in picas the length to which it isextended; also, the furniture is made in thicknesses of one, two, three,&c., picas, as

well as of different lengths, thereby corresponding to the sizes of typenow in use.

My invention is quick, simple, and effective in all display compositionand where blank is required, being especially valuable for colorwork,where there is a blank space to be accurately blocked, and also being ofgreat value for blanking out type-lines, particular in ti tlepages,bill-heads, cards, &c.

Supposing a letter-head were to be blanked out, the compositor wouldselect the proper width of furniture and simply extend it to fit intothe blank space to be filled. This might indicate eighteen picas. Atonce he would select a similar furniture, extend it to eighteen picas,and fit it into the other side of the form, having thereby quickly andaccurately centered the type in question of the letter-head at twooperations, instead of being required to pick up quad after quad, andfitting and wedging them in after the old fashion. Moreover, each sizebeing complete in two pieces that is to say, having its several lengthsall in one piece of furniturethere is less liability of its workingloose in the press. It occupies less room in the font and obviates thenecessity of keeping the extensive and expensive variety of stock in theform of quads, quotations, &c., now usual.

Various changes in details of arrangement and combination may beresorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. Extension furniture for printers, consisting of a body portion, arecess therein, a second body portion, a tongue thereon to occupy saidrecess, and means to automatically lock said parts rigidly together, thethickness of said furniture remaining always the same in all theadjustments thereof to different lengths, substantially as described.

2. Extension furniture for printers, C0111- prising two overlappingparallel parts, adapted to stand vertically facing each other in use,

the facing-surfaces thereof being formed to cooperate to rigidly locksaid parts together against longitudinal movement, substantially asdescribed.

3. Extension furniture for printers, comprising two parts, each partconsisting of a body portion and a tongue, said body portion beingprovided with a recess adapted to re ceive the tongue of the oppositepart, and interlocking teeth on said tongues respectively to lock saidtwo parts together in their adjustments, substantially as described.

4. Extension furniture for printers, comprising two parts, each partconsisting of a body portion and a tongue, said body portion beingprovided with a recess adapted to receixe the tongue of the oppositepart, interlocking teeth on said tongues respectively to lock said twoparts together in their adjustments, and graduated scales on said bodyportions corresponding to said teeth, substantially as described.

5. Extension furniture for printers, comprising two overlapping parallelparts, means to automatically interlock the same at intervals varying bypicas, and a scale graduated on one of them to indicate said picas,substantially as described.

6. As an article of manufacture, a singlepiece part of extensionfurniture, said part comprising a body portion, having parallel sides,said body portion being centrally rccessed at one side, a tongueextending from said body portion in alinelnent with said recess, theback side of said tongue lying in the plane of the corresponding side ofthe body portion, and the front side of said tongue being provided withteeth, substantially as de scribed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

VILLIAM E. ELA.

XVitnesses:

GEO. H. MAXWELL, JOHN C. EDWARDS.

